Posts
by Eric B. Hare
Last
week: Although
the secrets of the mind—how we think, reason, learn, and remember—are often
taught in complicated, technical terminology, they can be taught simply, and
provide a powerful tool to parents and teachers who are seeking to lead their
juniors to Christ.
One
afternoon a man found himself responsible for the care of his little
six-year-old daughter. Trying to figure out a way to keep her busy while he
enjoyed an hour of undisturbed quiet, he tore a picture of the map of the world
from his paper, cut it into a number of odd-shaped pieces, and handed it to
her, saying, “Here you are, my dear; see if you can put the world together
again.”
With
a smile of achievement on his face he settled into his comfortable chair, but
in five minutes his little girl was back again, calling, “Daddy, come and see!
I’ve got it all together again, Daddy!”
“Well,
I declare,” exclaimed her astonished father. “Tell me how you managed to get
the world together again so quickly.”
“Oh,
that was easy,” exulted his little daughter. “I turned the pieces over, and on
the other side I saw the picture of a man. So I just put the man together
right, and when I got the man together right, the whole world was right.”
What
a fundamental truth lies in these words! As parents, teachers, and junior
leaders, let us keep this great fact in mind. We can never hope to make the
world right till we make the man right. We can never make the man right till we
make the boy right, and we can never make the boy right till we take time to
study what a boy is made of, and what the powers and forces are that will mold
him into a being of honor.
“All
power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth,” declared Christ when He said to
His disciples, “Go ye therefore”;1 and we do well to remember that though we are responsible for the going, the
teaching, and the baptizing, the power
belongs only to Christ.
“There
was but one hope for the human
race—that into this mass of discordant and corrupting elements might be cast a new leaven; that there might be brought
to mankind the power of a new life;
that the knowledge of God might be restored to the world.”2 Christ came to supply this power.
“Wherever
He went, the tidings of His mercy preceded Him. Where He had passed, the
objects of His compassion were rejoicing in health, and making trial of their
new-found powers. Crowds were collecting around them to hear from their lips
the works that the Lord had wrought. His voice was the first sound that many
had ever heard, His name the first word they had ever spoken, His face the
first they had ever looked upon. Why should they not love Jesus, and sound His
praise? As He passed through the towns and cities, He was like a vital current diffusing life and joy wherever He went.”3
In
many ways Christ has sought to teach us our dependence on Him for this power. “As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more
can ye, except ye abide in Me.”4 And Mrs. E. G. White expressed it beautifully in these words:
“As
the highest preparation for your work, I point you to the words, the life, the
methods, of the Prince of teachers. I bid you consider Him. Here is your true
ideal. Behold it, dwell upon it, until the Spirit of the divine Teacher shall
take possession of your heart and life. ‘Reflecting as a mirror the glory of
the Lord,’ you will be ‘transformed into the same image.’ This is the secret of
power over your pupils. Reflect Him.”5
As
we think back over the successes and failures of our lives, we know it is only
too true. Power can only be felt in our lives when we take time to connect with
the Source of power, and thus reflect Him in our lives.
It
is said that a minister, while calling at the home of one of his church
members, was met at the door by a little girl. “Is your mother home?” asked the
minister.
“Well—but,
are you sick?” hesitated the little one.
“Oh,
no, I’m just the minister, and—”
“Well,
are you hurt?” continued the little girl.
“No,
no, my dear. You see, I’m—”
“Well,
is anyone else sick, or anyone else hurt?” persisted the little six-year-old.
“No,
no—I just—”
“Oh,
well, then you can’t see mother, for she always prays from nine o’clock to ten
o’clock, and unless someone is hurt or sick, she doesn’t come out.”
The
minister looked at his watch. It was twenty minutes past nine, but he wanted
more than ever to see and talk with that praying mother. “May I come in and
wait?” he quietly asked.
“Oh,
yes,” the little girl sweetly replied, as she showed him to a chair in the
sitting room.
At
ten o’clock the mother came into the room, her face radiant with the divine
presence; and then the minister knew why that home was so bright, why two sons
from that home had entered the theological seminary, and a daughter was in the
mission field. In commenting on this experience, he said, “All hell can’t tear
a boy or a girl away from a mother like that!”6 And I would like to add, nor from a teacher like that, nor from a leader like
that. How easy it is to recognize it, and to prove it; so without further
discussion let us write this large, as the first great fundamental principle of
all junior evangelism: A knowledge of Christ is the source of
power.
“This
is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom Thou hast sent.”7
(Next week: “Vital Knowledge.”)
1. Matthew 28:18, 19.
2. Education, page 76.
3. The Desire of Ages, page 350.
4. John 15:4.
5. Education, page 282.
6. “A Praying Mother,” Review and Herald, February 7, 1935.
7. John 17:3.
Copyright
© 1973 by Eric B. Hare. Used by permission.
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